Climbing crane



F. J. STRNAD CLIMBING CRANE Jan. 30, 1968 Filed 001:. 23, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR FRANK). STRNAD ATTY Jan. 30, 1968 v F'. J. STRNAD 3,

CLIMBING CRANE Filed Oct. 23, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGS.

United States Patent 3,366,251 CLIMBING CRANE Frank J. Strnad, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignor to Link-Belt Company, a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,236 Claims. (Cl. 212-64) This invention relates generally to cranes and more particularly to a crane mounted on a self elevating tower for use in connection with building construction.

During the erection of the modern high rise apartment and office buildings it is required that large quantities of materials be hoisted to the various floors under construction. This presents special material handling problems as the height of the building is increased.

In lower buildings it is possible to use conventional crawler and truck mounted cranes having the necessary capacities and boom lengths to hoist the building materials from the ground to the point of use on the structure under construction. On taller buildings, however, these cranes cannot reach the upper floors and have the additional disadvantage that the boom cannot reach appreciatively beyond the face wall of the building in order to place the hoisted materials at or as close as possible to the location where they are needed. This necessitates the rehandling of a large proportion of the material thereby increasing construction costs, causing inefiiciency, slowing the pace of erecting the building, and increasing the probability of accidents occurring on the building site. These conventional cranes also have the disadvantage that the crane operator cannot visually see where to lower the hoisted materials since his cab is at the ground level and he cannot see beyond the face of the building at the higher floors. This necessitates additional personnel for directing the movements of the crane operator in raising and placing the building materials.

Track or wheel mounted tower cranes handle construction materials in about the same manner as the previously mentioned conventional crawler and truck mounted cranes, their principal advantage being that they can reach over the face wall of the building .so as to have a greater operating radius, and thus have the ability to more accurately place the building material at or near the point of use on the building. These cranes have the disadvantage that they cannot be operated above a certain height, and normally do not provide visibility for the operator to accurately place the material being handled.

The self climbing type tower cranes heretofore proposed have been those which are intended to be mounted in a vertically extending interior shaft of the building. This type of crane is continually elevated as erection of the building progresses, with the total weight of the crane, along with that which it is in the process of lifting, being supported by the upper floors of the building on which the crane is supported. These upper floors, of course, have the least curing time and therefore have a relatively low green strength. This requires that the building be of a design which is capable of supporting this concentrated weight load on these floors. This may necessitate that special reinforced pillars be included in the architectural plans of the building merely for the support of this type of a crane, thereby increasing construction and building costs accordingly. In addition, the use of this type of crane requires that loads be handled at an operating radius at least as great as the distance from the shaft to a face of i the building.

As can be seen by the previous discussion of known types of building cranes, it would be desirable to have a crane which would (1) allow the operator to visually see where to place the hoisted materials beyond the face wall of the buildings, (2) overcome the height limitations "ice presently placed on ground mounted cranes, (3) avoid placing undesirable loading forces on the not fully cured floors of the building, (4) be capable of being easily and quickly elevated upon the completion of successive floors of the building, and (5) reduce the capital investment in specialized hoisting equipment to a minimum.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a ground supported self elevating tower on which hoisting apparatus may be mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a crane which may be elevated upon the completion of successive floors of the building, and which employs the rotating upper structure of a conventional type crane which is rotatably mounted to the top of the tower.

Another object of this invention is to provide a self elevating type of tower crane which will avoid placing undesirable vertical forces on the floors of the building.

A further object of this invention is to provide a self elevating type of tower crane which may be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled on the job site.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method for elevating material in constructing a building so as to prevent the application of vertical forces to the building and in such a manner that torsional and bending forces developed during the hoisting operation are applied only to the building structure.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the rotating upper portion of a conventional crane rotatably mounted on the top of the self elevating tower, with a portion of the supporting members and the self elevating apparatus being illustrated,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the self elevating apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3,

FIGURE 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the hydraulic control system employed with the self elevating apparatus shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, and

FIGURES 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are diagrammatic side elevational views illustrating the manner in which the self elevating tower is initially assembled, and the procedure followed as it is progressively elevated upon the successive completion of the floors of the building under construction.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention, and first particularly referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is illustrated the rotating upper portion of a conventional crane 15 which has been detached from its truck or track supported carrier, not shown, and rotatably mounted on and connected to a ring gear 19 on the top of upper section 20 of a tower assembly 21. The crane upper 15 is a selfcontained apparatus consisting of a boom 16 and a vehicle body 17 with an operators cab 18. A drive mechanism, not shown, is located in the vehicle body 17 to provide power for both the operation of the boom 16 and for the rotation of the crane upper 15 on the ring gear 19.

The tower assembly 20 consists of the top section 21 and two lower tower sections 22 with each of the tower sections having an associated collar 23 permanently secured to its bottom edge. To form the tower assembly 20, the top of each lower tower section 22 is rigidly secured to the collar 23 of the tower section thereabove. Each collar 23 has a pair of inwardly extending hooklike edges 24 which are formed to closely engage a rail assembly 25 to prevent any lateral movement of the tower assembly 20.

The longitudinally extending vertical rail assembly 25 is located adjacent to an exterior face 26 of the building under construction. The rail assembly 25 is constructed of two vertical series of I-beam rail sections 27 with the sections of each series connected in end to end relationship and maintained laterally spaced by brackets 28 bolted therebetween at the level of each building floor 29. The rail assembly 25 is longitudinally extended upwards by adding rail sections 27 as each floor 29 of the building is completed.

A pair of telescoping braces 31 are secured to an appropriate stationary point 32 on each completed floor 29 and the threaded shaft 33 of each brace is then adjusted so as to bolt onto the adjacent bracket 28. This adjustment is made by rotating the threaded shaft 33 into or out of a nut 34 which is secured to each brace 31. These laterally extending braces 31 maintain the rail assembly 25 in a fixed position adjacent to the exterior face 26 of the building. A pair of guy cables 35 are connected to opposite end portions of each bracket 28 and extend therefrom to be fixed to points 36 on the adjacent floor 29 that are spaced on opposite sides of the point 32. A turnbuckle 37 is provided at the end of each guy cable 35 at its point of securement to each floor 29 of the building for adjusting and tightening the cables.

The climbing apparatus 38 (see FIGURES 3 and 4) consists of a main hydraulically operated jack 39 having a double acting cylinder 41 and a piston rod 42, and two safety hydraulic jacks 43 each having a cylinder 44 and a piston rod 45. The main jack 39 is centrally located between the two safety jacks 43 with its cylinder 41 connected to a projection 46 on a collar bottom plate 47 and its piston rod 42 connected to a projection 48 on the plate 49. The safety jacks 43 are also connected between the projections 50 on the collar bottom plate and the plate 49. Apertures 51 in plate 49 are located such that they may be axially aligned with the apertures 52 located at regularly spaced intervals along each rail section 27. The rear flange 53 of an I-beam 54 of collar 23 has apertures 55 which are spaced identically with the apertures 51 so that they may also be brought into axial alignment with a corresponding set of apertures 52 in the rail sections 27.

To elevate the tower assembly 20, the apertures 51 in the plate 49 are axially aligned with the apertures 52 in the rail sections 27, and bolts 56 are inserted through the apertures and secured in place by nuts 57. This secures the plate 49 to the rail assembly 25. The main jack 39 and the two safety jacks 43 are now connected to the portable hydraulic power supply source, a preferred embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 5. By placing the control switch 61 in the Raise position, the fluid 62 in the sump 63 is removed by the pump 64 and pumped through the tubing 65 and the unidirectional valve 66 into the cylinder 41 of the main jack 39. Since the piston rod 42 is secured in a fixed position by plate 49, the incoming fluid 62 exerts a force between the piston head 67 and the inside of the cylinder 41 thus causing longitudinal movement of the piston rod 42. This longitudinal movement of the piston rod 42 propels cylinder 41 and the attached collar 23 upwards along the rail assembly 25, thus causing an elevation of the tower assembly 20. This vertical movement of the collar 23 draws the cylinders 44 of the safety jacks 43 along with it, thereby causing the piston heads 68 to move away from the ends 69 of the cylinders 44. This movement will open the unidirectional valves 71 and allow fluid 72 from the sump 73 to flow through the tubing 74 and into the cylinders 44. After the collar 23 has been elevated to a position where the apertures 55 are axially aligned with the apertures 52 in the rail assembly 25, bolts are inserted through these adjacent apertures thereby securing the collar to the rail assembly. The bolts 56 are now removed to free the plate 49 from the rail assembly 25, and the control switch 61 is placed in its Lower position as shown in dotted relief in FIG. 5. Fluid 62 from the sump 63 is now pumped by the pump 64 through the tubing 75 and into the cylinder 41 beneath the piston head 67. This exerts a force on the piston head 67 causing the piston rod 42 to move back into its cylinder 41 and at the same time close valve 66. This forces the fluid 62 which was previously entrapped above the piston head 67 back through the fixed restriction 76 and valve 77 in the tubing 65 and into the sump 63. Similarly, the fluid 72 which was previously entrapped above the piston heads 68 of the safety jacks 43 is forced out of the cylinders 44 and through the fixed restrictiOn 78 and valve 79 in the tubing 80 and into the sump 73. This movement of the piston rod 42 elevates the plate 49 to a new position along the rail assembly 25 at which the apertures 51 are aligned with a new set of apertures in the rail assembly, and the bolts 56 are now replaced to once again secure the plate to the rail assembly. The collar 23 may now be released from the rail assembly 25 and the procedure of raising the tower assembly 21 repeated. By continually repeating this procedure it is seen that the tower assembly 20 may be progressively elevated on the rail assembly 25.

To lower the tower assembly 20 on the rail assembly 25, the previously described procedure is reversed. The bolts 56 are removed in order to free the plate 49 from the rail assembly 25. The control switch 61 is then placed in the Raise position thus forcing the piston rod 42 longitudinally out of the cylinder 41. The lowered plate 49 is now secured by the bolts 56 to the rail assembly 25. The collar 23 is then unbolted from the rail assembly 25 and the control switch 61 is placed in the Lower position. This directs the fluid 62 through the tubing 75 to a position beneath the piston head 67, thus causing the piston rod 42 to return within the cylinder 41 and thereby lower the tower assembly 20. The repetition of this procedure will allow the tower assembly 20 to be lowered back to the ground level of the building.

The valves 77 and 79 are provided for emergency use and are therefore normally left in their open position so as not to interfere with the fluid flow. In an emergency these valves may be closed to prevent the flow of the entrapped fluid from above the piston heads 67 and 68. It can therefore be seen that the closing of these valves results in the immobility of the jacks 29 and 43 to prevent the accidental downward movement of the tower assembly 20.

Referring now to FIGURES 6 through 10 inclusively there is shown a typical use of this invention in conjunction with the erection of a building. During the early stages of erection the rail assembly 25 is maintained in a vertical position by the braces 31 secured to the completed floors 29. The crane upper 15 is detached from its carrier base, is lifted by a separate crane, and is rotatably mounted on the ring gear 19 of the tower assembly 20. Auxiliary support 81 is temporarily placed on the side of the tower assembly 20' opposite the building to act as a temporary brace for the tower assembly. In FIG- URE 7 it is seen that the tower assembly 20 has been elevated a height equal to one of the lower tower sections 22 so that an additional tower section 22 may be secured in place. FIGURE 8 shows the completed tower assembly 20 attached to the rail assembly 25. FIGURES 9 and 10 show the crane assembly 15 at two different working elevations and the associated elements of the tower assembly 20 and the rail assembly 25 as each floor 29 of the building is completed.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. Hoisting apparatus for use in the construction of a building, comprising:

vertical load supporting means extending substantially vertically upwardly from ground level and connected at vertically spaced points to the building to transmit lateral and torsional loads to the building,

said supporting means being adapted to be vertically lengthened as construction of the building progresses upwardly, a separate tower selectively connectable to said supporting means for vertical traversing movement thereon,

hoisting means mounted on the upper portion of said tower for vertical movement therewith,

elevating means associated with said tower and said supporting means for raising said tower on said supporting means as construction of the building progresses upwardly, and

means for releasably retaining said tower at a selected position relative to the length of said supporting means.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterized by means for rotatably connecting said hoisting means to the upper portion of said tower.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 2 further characterized by said hoisting means comprising a rotating upper structure of a conventional crane.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterized by said supporting means being connected to said building by braces each having a first member and a second member adjustable relative to each other to vary the length of the brace, one end of each brace being connected to said supporting means and the other end of each brace being connected to said building.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 1 further characterby said supporting means comp-rising:

parallel rail elements each having a plurality of sections connected in end-to-end relationship,

means connected between said rail elements at vertically spaced points to maintain a fixed lateral spacing therebetween,

said rail elements adapted to be vertically lengthened by connecting additional sections thereon, and

each of said rail elements having a guide surface extending longitudinally thereof for association with said tower to guide the vertical traversing movement of the tower on said rail elements.

6. Hoisting apparatus for use in the construction of a building, comprising:

parallel supporting elements each having a plurality of rigid substantially vertical supporting sections adapted to be connected in vertical alignment with each other as the construction of the building progresses upwardly,

the bottom supporting section of each of said supporting elements being supported at ground level to transmit all vertical loading forces on the supporting elements to the ground,

braces connected at vertically spaced points between the supporting elements and the building to maintain said supporting elements at a fixed distance from one face of the building, said braces transmitting all lateral and torsional loading forces on the support ing elements to the building,

a separate tower,

means associated with said tower for engagement with said supporting elements to permit vertical traversing movement of the tower thereon,

hoisting means mounted on the upper portion of said tower for vertical movement therewith,

elevating means associated with said tower and said supporting elements for raising the tower on the supporting elements as the construction of the building progresses upwardly, and

detachable means for retaining said tower at a selected position relative to the length of said supporting elements.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 6 further characterized by said hoisting means comprising a rotating upper structure of a conventional crane.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 7 further characterized by said tower having a mounting ring secured on the top portion thereof, said mounting ring being adapted to be rotatably connected to the lower portion of said conventional crane upper structure to secure the crane to the tower and permit rotation of said crane thereon.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 6 further characterized by said tower comprising:

a plurality of sections connected in end-to-end relationship to increase the span of engagement of the supporting elements by the means associated with said tower for engaging the supporting elements.

10. Apparatus as described in claim 6 further characterized by said elevating means comprising:

members attached to said tower and detachably connected to said supporting elements,

means for selectively lengthening said members to raise said tower when the members are connected to said supporting elements and the means for retaining the tower at a selected position are detached and shortening said members to reposition the detachable connection between said members and said supporting elements while said means for retaining the tower at a selected position are attached.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,781 12/1888 Maurer 1872 3,053,398 9/ 196 2 Liebherr 21257 3,207,263 9/1965- Cull 212-64 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,159,927 10/ 1956 France. 1,296,149 6/ 1961 France.

994,728 6 1965 Great Britain. 612,791 11/1960 Italy.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY. Assistant Examiner. 

1. HOISTING APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BUILDING, COMPRISING: VERTICAL LOAD SUPPORTING MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY UPWARDLY FROM GROUND LEVEL AND CONNECTED AT VERTICALLY SPACED POINTS TO THE BUILDING TO TRANSMIT LATERAL AND TORSIONAL LOADS TO THE BUILDING, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE VERTICALLY LENGTHENED AS CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING PROGRESSES UPWARDLY, A SEPARATE TOWER SELECTIVELY CONNECTABLE TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR VERTICAL TRAVERSING MOVEMENT THEREON, HOISTING MEANS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID TOWER FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREWITH, ELEVATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TOWER AND SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR RAISING SAID TOWER ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AS CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING PROGRESSES UPWARDLY, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID TOWER AT A SELECTED POSITION RELATIVE TO THE LENGTH OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS. 